Is this lens flare?

RattyMouse · Aug 11, 2012

I'm testing out my "new" (used) camera and have a few images with a very strange phenomena on them. Is this lens flare? A lens problem? Or a processing problem? I have pointed out to the lab many marks left on my negatives and after showing him these, he said this came from the camera. I've never seen flare like this so am not sure what to believe. This mark only appeared on 2 images out of 5 rolls of 6 x 4.5 negative film. Any comments? Thanks!

Thanks,

Matthew Wagg · Aug 11, 2012

What it looks like to me is a pinch mark on the neg. It can't be lens flare as there's no direct sunlight in either picture. The first pic looks like the sun was behind you as with the second.
It could well be a developing problem as in the negs weren't perfectly straight on the way through processing or is could be the kink happened in camera.

R.Gould · Aug 11, 2012

It is a pinch mark, damaging the negative, which will print like this, you can get it sometimes if you are a bit careless loading film in a developing tank, but I have neve seen this before in a lab processed film,
Richard

RattyMouse · Aug 11, 2012

Thanks everyone. I was concerned that it might be a camera problem. The labs here in China just arent up to western standards.

Brian C. Miller · Aug 12, 2012

Your camera cannot possibly product that result. +1 on the film pinch. They probably load the film onto reels, and they had a bad time with it. (It happens.) When I was new at this, a lab in Seattle gave me my film with a crease in it, and claimed my camera did it. Uh, no. Then they claimed that their processor did it. Unlikely. What probably happened is that after it was developed, the film was lying on a table, and somebody set something on it. (three rolls had the exact same crease.)

PKM-25 · Aug 12, 2012

Bummer, yeah, that is a pinch which happened at the lab either before or after processing. Maybe try to explain to the lab tech that you want to bring them more business but this can not happen, in a nice way of course. Look on the negs for other trauma such as scratches, fingerprints or the like, especially where the "crecents" are to better pin down the careless handling.

pgomena · Aug 12, 2012

Yes, a crescent moon mark, which is fairly easy to do on 120 roll film. I once put an exposed roll in my change pocket with my car keys and produced several of these. I don't do that any more.

It also can be produced by improper handling loading film onto processing rolls. I've done that, too.

Peter Gomena

RattyMouse · Aug 12, 2012

PKM-25 said:
Bummer, yeah, that is a pinch which happened at the lab either before or after processing. Maybe try to explain to the lab tech that you want to bring them more business but this can not happen, in a nice way of course. Look on the negs for other trauma such as scratches, fingerprints or the like, especially where the "crecents" are to better pin down the careless handling.

Yeah, I tried that. No luck. It's just different here in China. Maybe there is a REAL pro lab somewhere, but what I've found is not it. The guy's entire life has been film and he does develop and do the black and white printing by hand. But color is done by machine and I've gotten back a fair amount of scratched negatives on my first few rolls. Maybe 15% of the negatives have multiple scratches. Not a big deal as these were test rolls to see how the camera is doing. I need to shop around for color alternatives. A shame as the price is right, but the quality is not there.

Is this lens flare?

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